This invention relates to a firearm sling swivel of the quick-detachable variety, and more particularly, to such a swivel which can be locked positively and selectively in a condition preventing its accidental release from the usual mounting base.
A popular quick-detachable-type sling swivel has been sold widely for years by Michaels of Oregon Co., Portland, OR. This swivel has a body that carries a mounting pin which, during mounting of the swivel, is inserted in a bore provided in one of a variety of conventional mounting bases attached to a firearm. Carried on the body, and cooperating with this mounting pin, is a shift/swing gate which is manipulatable, through pressing on an elongated spring-biased plunger, to shift between open and closed positions relative to the mounting pin to enable mounting, demounting and general securing of the swivel on a base.
A problem, however, is sometimes encountered when, for some reason, a sudden or at least unexpected lateral tug is exerted on a sling attached to such a swivel, which causes the gate, from its closed position, to separate from and expose the mounting pin, thereby ultimately causing the swivel to demount voluntarily from its associated mounting base.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a unique sling swivel, of the type generally outlined above, which is improved in the sense that it includes a mechanism enabling selective locking of the plunger in the swivel to prevent a demounting accident of the type just described.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a modified swivel, wherein functions other than selective locking are otherwise unchanged, with respect to prior art swivels of the type discussed earlier, so as to provide a swivel product which carries with it all of the good-reputation features associated in the past with the prior swivel type of which it is a modification.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a locking quick-detachable-type sling swivel, as indicated, which is extremely simple in construction and reliable in performance.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, positive, selective plunger locking is effected through the use of a position-changeable locking element which is mounted on the plunger for adjustment into and out of conditions of effective reactive engagement with the body in the swivel. Associated with this locking element is a capture device which, while permitting free operational movement of the locking element, inhibits removal of the element, and hence loss thereof.
According to several embodiments of the invention, the proposed locking element takes the form of an axially shiftable sleeve which is mounted on the usual projecting free end of a plunger. With these types of embodiments, capturing of the sleeve on the plunger is accomplished through the provision either of an abutment-type interference, such as an interacting shoulder and enlargement, or of a non-threaded land in a structure where threaded engagement is provided between the plunger and element.
In another type of embodiment, the locking element takes the form of a spring-biased finger disposed in a longitudinal groove formed on the outside of the plunger's free end. The finger itself has a free end which points toward the body in the swivel to prevent depression of the plunger (against its biasing spring) in the absence of simultaneous depression of the free end of the finger to place it within the clearance groove provided on the side of the plunger.
Various objects and advantages, other than those set forth above, will become apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.